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Baltimore, Maryland – A former Maryland Department of Labor (MD-DOL) insider received a federal-prison term, today, for scheming to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance (UI) claim benefits during the COVID-19 Pandemic. U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Katrina McCant, 41, of Baltimore, to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

MOBILE, AL – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama today announced sentencings as part of a nationwide enforcement actions led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, Internal Revenue Service, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) targeting tax fraud and related offenses. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama was key participant in this surge effort. Several defendants were sentenced for defrauding the United States of millions of dollars intended for businesses impacted by the...

Today, the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division along with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the SBA Office of Inspector General, as part of a Heartland Fraud Surge announced the results of Operation No Doze, a surge of criminal enforcement actions targeting fraud in SBA’s small business COVID-era loan programs.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An Anchorage businesswoman was sentenced today to 3.8 years in prison for lying on federal loan applications and stealing identities to fraudulently obtain nearly $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland woman received a prison term for her role in an unemployment insurance (UI) fraud conspiracy. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Kiara Smith, 28, of Prince George’s County, to 42 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges, in connection with the scheme.

HONOLULU – United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that on May 11, 2026, United States District Judge Jill A. Otake sentenced Kaiaulani C. Kaiawe, 47, of Kapaa, Hawaii to 40 months in prison for defrauding the Kauai Coronavirus Rental and Utility Assistance (CRUA) program.

Lakeia Simone Grant, aka Lakeia Shepperd, 40, of Newport News, was sentenced to over seven years in prison for COVID era unemployment insurance fraud scheme.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – On April 9, 2026, JELISSA LACOUR (“LACOUR”), age 37, a resident of Jefferson Parish, was sentenced by United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier for two counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.

The indictment accuses the conspirators of submitting at least 40 fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans that yielded at least $8.3 million.

The program awarded funds for the opening of new childcare facilities or the expansion of existing facilities.